Fischer primed to flourish as key player on Hull roster
Gord Holder
Saturday 3 October 1998
The Ottawa Citizen

Jiri Fischer is as happy as heck to be back in Hull, and the Olympiques are thrilled to have him back.

Fischer, an 18-year-old defenceman who was a first-round pick in the 1998 NHL draft, just returned to Hull following three weeks in the Detroit Red Wings training camp.

The Olympiques hope the product of Beroun, Czech Republic, picks up where he left off in his first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League campaign, and helps them overcome a balky start to the current season.

"If you are in Detroit, you just think about Detroit, and if you're here, you just forget about Detroit and everything and focus on your game here, and that's what I'm trying to do," said Fischer, who made his 1998-99 QMJHL debut Wednesday, when the Olympiques lost 5-4 to the Sherbrooke Castors and fell to 1-3-0.

They played the Victoriaville Tigres last night in a game at Hull's Robert Guertin Arena.

Fischer said the Red Wings didn't issue any specific instructions upon his return to the Olympiques, "just to keep doing what I'm doing and to try to be one of the top defenceman in the league.

"That's what they expect from me."

The Olympiques and head coach Claude Julien certainly expect a lot.

Fischer will asked to become more involved on offence, and to throw his weight around a bit more.

The scoring touch started to develop late last season and should continue to flourish as the hard-shooting Fischer gains added confidence.

He had four goals during the recent exhibition schedule and counted his first of the regular season on Wednesday.

"People have to realize he is not our saviour, but he is a big part of this hockey club," Julien said.

"In his case, I think the only knock against him was that, last year, at times he wasn't aggressive enough. This year, you can definitely see the difference in him."

Making a physical impression should be easy for Fischer, who added several layers of muscle to what was a 6-5, 190-pound frame with a rigorous offseason training program.

After Hull was ousted from the QMJHL playoffs last spring, Fischer made three trips home to the Czech Republic and back: first for pre-NHL draft physical testing in Toronto; next for the draft in Buffalo and a rookie camp in Detroit; then for a three-week training session in Minnesota, leading right up to camp in Hull.

The Minnesota program, organized by staff with the NHL's San Jose Sharks, had a total enrolment of 150 and included eight first-round picks from the '98 draft.

Fischer's goal for the Olympiques is a "great" regular season and playoff success.

Last spring, Hull surprised many observers by qualifying for the postseason and then lasting into the second round.

"The further you get, the more ice time you get (as an individual), and that means more experience for you," Fischer said.

"I just want to work hard. I know that if you do that, everything else is going to come." 1